Simple, yet complicated:TGC ‘s homepage describes themselves as, “…a fellowship of evangelical churches deeply committed to renewing our faith in the gospel of Christ and to reforming our ministry practices to conform fully to the Scriptures. We yearn to work with all who, in addition to embracing our confession and theological vision for ministry, seek the lordship of Christ over the whole of life with unabashed hope in the power of the Holy Spirit to transform individuals, communities, and cultures” (emphasis mine). How easily we forget that’s ultimately what TGC aims to be: a fellowship of evangelical churches. And yet, it’s not quite so simple as that, is it? TGC has become so much more than a mere well intentioned “fellowship of evangelical churches.”

A welcome shift: It appears that TGC is making changes to become less personality driven, and with fewer dominant voices. (This is shown in how many contributors they now have, as well as the layout of their website. You have to dig to find the once prominent blog.)

A fractured coalition: The Reformed/Calvinist movement, which seemed more cohesive with TGC and T4G just five years ago, is facing greater fracturing and splintering in the days ahead. This is not necessarily a bad thing—but nor is it good. It will have lasting ramifications, and raises questions about how sustainable ministries such as TGC and T4G will be during the next few years.

Be careful: Pastors or ministry leaders should be very careful what they wish for. We long to exert influence, have a high profile, have a seat at the table of the gatekeepers, movers and shakers of TGC-related ministries. But James’ council should be ringing loudly in our ears: “Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.” (James 3:1). Ask Driscoll, MacDonald, Mahaney, Harris, Tullian—heck, ask anyone who’s pastored for more than a few weeks and they could to the perils and pitfalls of pastoral ministry. What makes the present dilemma different is social media, which puts these men under greater scrutiny than most ordinary pastors. But we’ve been warned.